GREENWOOD, S.C.—Lander University and the Arts Center of Greenwood invite the community to be a part of the 2024-25 Lecture Series Tuesday, April 1, for Dr. Claire Marie Mensack’s lecture, “The Amish Way of Aging: The Dawdyhaus and the Grace of Life.” The lecture will be held at the Arts Center at 6 p.m., with refreshments and a cash bar available at 5:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

In collectivist cultures, such as the Amish and other plain Anabaptist communities, the good of the community is the focus, with the family as a microcosm of that larger collectivist culture. In these families, older members often remain at home or near the main family dwelling in what is known as the dawdyhaus – a separate or sometimes attached dwelling for aging family members.

The desire to move into the dawdyhaus and the responsibilities of adult children assuming greater household roles is not a forced responsibility, but one assumed by a sense of yielding, submission and grace. Among the Amish and other plain Anabaptist communities, this sense of yielding is referred to as gelassenheit. As such, the dawdyhaus is not only a noun in terms of space, but also as a verb in terms of daily living and life.

Dr. Claire Marie Mensack is an assistant professor of public health at Lander University. She earned her Ph.D. in public health from the University of South Carolina, along with a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from USC’s School of Medicine. Additionally, she earned graduate certificates in gerontology and psychiatric rehabilitation. She also earned an M.A. in health and physical education, and a B.A. in social and cultural anthropology from the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on rural culture, psychosocial health, and wellbeing, and how these intersect with one another.

Please visit www.lander.edu/events for updates and to confirm event times and venues. For questions, please contact Assistant Provost Dr. Mark Rollins at 864-388-8563 or mrollins@lander.edu.